Catholic school principal may lose job over 40 Days for Life
October 14, 2011
The board of directors of Christ the King School, a K-8 Catholic school in Winnipeg, may fire the school's principal after he offered community-service credit to seventh and eighth graders who attended a 40 Days for Life rally. Principal David Hood was asked not to report to work on October 13.
"Certain pro-life activities are in keeping with Catholic teachings, but I think the issue here was the extension of the credit and that it wouldn't be something that this, as a school, Catholic school, that we would sanction," said Robert Praznik, director of education at the Archdiocese of Winnipeg Catholic Schools.
An official in Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger's administration told the Winnipeg Free Press that schools such as Christ the King School that receive government funding are not permitted to organize such activities.
"This is not a school sanctioned activity," the school's board of directors said in a statement. "Students are expected to be in class during regular school hours. Students do not receive community service or academic credit for participation in a prayer vigil."
"Christ the King is a Catholic school that follows the Manitoba curriculum and the teachings of the Catholic Church which includes respect for the sanctity of human life," the directors added. "We acknowledge that parents are the primary educators of their children and the participation in a pro-life vigil would be the decision of an individual family."
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